Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Irish fishing industry is hanging at the edge at this time due to Brexit negotiations and the British insistence that all EU trawlers vacate UK waters on 21 December 2020. On top of this, we heard at the agriculture and the marine committee on Tuesday there will be a 5% decrease in white fish fleet fishing next year, which will mainly hit fishermen from Castletownbere in the south west. This is on top of successive Irish Governments being unable to get lucrative bluefin tuna quota while our European counterparts are securing ample amounts of quotas.

During negotiations with the Government, I pleaded with the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach, Deputy Martin, and the Minister, Deputy Ryan for a stand-alone Minister with responsibility for fisheries, which fell on deaf ears. We are now seeing the total destruction of Irish fishing rights to Irish fish in our sea. In negotiations last week, Mr. Michel Barnier was offering 80% more fish to the UK, which was rejected. Whose fish is Mr. Barnier giving in these negotiations?

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